Stirrup arrangements for physicians&#39; examining tables



Aug; 27, 1957 s. s. SPIELBERG STIRRUP ARRANGEMENTS FOR PHYSICIANS EXAMINING TABLES Filed NOV. 10, 1955 SEW m 5 1, 2 :$w

- Sam '8. Spielberg United States Patent O STIRRUP ARRANGEMENTS FOR PHYSICIANS I EXAMINING TABLES I Sam S. Spielberg, New York, N. Y.

Application November 10, 1955, Serial No. 546,024

1 Claim. (Cl. 311-11) This invention relates to physicians examining tables, and more particularly to a stirrup and a mounting therefor by means of which the stirrup can be moved to either an operative position or inoperative and concealed position relatively to the table, andparticularly while a patient is on the table, without disturbing the patient.

In many types of examining tables, the stirrups used thereon are removable and often become misplaced so that when needed the stirrups'are not always at hand. In other instances, efforts have been made to provide socalled disappearing stirrups which are adapted to be swung under the rest members above the table top when not in use, and thus concealed from view. One of the primary objections found in the latter construction is that the stirrup can not be moved to operative position from its position under the table top, Without elevating the pivoted rest member located at the foot end of the table. Thus, when a patient is resting on the table and the stirrups are required, it is necessary for the patient to be moved while the end rest is elevated to permit the stirrups to be brought into operative position.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a table construction in which the stirrups are of the so-called disappearing type, and a feature of the present invention resides in the provision of means by which the stirrupscan be pivotally swung to concealed position under the rest member without requiring elevation or lifting of the foot end or other part of the rest member. Hence, With the use of a construction of this character it is possible to swing the stirrups to either operative or inoperative position without requiring movement of a'patient then resting on the table.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a rest member provided with a recess in its under face at its foot end, and which recess is of such a size and is open at one of the side edges of the rest member, to enable the stirrup to be swung into the recess and positioned below the rest member and thus concealed from view and disposed out of the way of the physician, such pivotal movement of the stirrup to concealed position being effected without requiring raising or other movement of the rest member in which the stirrupreceiving recess is formed. The invention further contemplates the provision of a stirrup adapted to be fitted in either of two positions at the end of a bent supporting rod, one of which positions is that in which the stirrup is vertically disposed for operative use and the other is that in which the stirrup is placed horizontally in readiness to be swung under the rest member.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in View, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claim appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, showing a corner portion of an examining table provided with the improved stirrup mounting, and showing the stirrup in its concealed posi- "ice tion, the rest member of the table being elevated to disclose the position of the stirrup;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the table;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view on a reduced scale of the corner portion shown in Fig. 1 of the table.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, wherein one corner of a physicians examining table is disclosed. This corner is at the foot end of the table, and the opposite corner at said end is similarly constructed and is also provided with the stirrup mounting to be presently described. The body of the table is generally indicated at 1 and the same is provided with a conventional top 4 on which are supported, in the known manner, the conventional, padded rest members, the lower or foot end rest member thereof being indicated at 2. In many of these tables the lower rest member 2 is pivotal at the point 3 so that it may be raised and lowered on said pivot and maintained in either one of said positions. Such movable rest member is not essential to the present invention, since the improved stirrup mounting does not require elevation or pivotal movement of the lower rest member 2 to enable the stirrups to be brought to either the operative position or to the inoperative, concealed position.

The rest member 2, pivotal or stationary, is provided at each of its lower corners with an undercut recess 5, which is open at a side edge of the rest member as indicated at 6, and is also open at its forward end, as indicated at 7, to permit a stirrup-supporting rod 11 to be swung in a manner to position the stirrup 8 which it holds into the recess 5 without requiring raising or other movement of the rest member 2. The recess 5 is of such depth that it enables the stirrup, while the same is horizontally disposed as shown in the drawing, to be accommodated in it and positioned between the rest member 2 and the table top of the table.

Each of the stirrups 8 is formed with an integral sleeve or socket portion 9 by which it can be fitted in either a vertical position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, upon the upturned end or extremity 10 of the stirrup-supporting rod 11, or else it can be fitted on said end 10 by ex tending the end 10 of the rod through a hole 12 extending transversely through the socket portion or sleeve 9.

The rod 11 is formed with a substantially horizontal portion 13 formed at its end with the downwardly-extending vertical part 14, which part is vertically adjustable through a block 15, to thereby raise or lower the stirrup 8. The block 15 is attached at the end of a square bar 16 which is slidably adjustable through the top 4 of the table, being guided therein by a channel-shaped guide member 17 securely mounted in the table top. The block 15, carrying the stirrup-supporting rod 11 is adapted to be adjusted to or from the foot end of the table, by sliding movement of the bar 16 through guide 17, and the bar 16 may be maintained in any selected position of extension or retraction by means of the hand screw 18 threadable through a wall of the table top and operative against the bar 16 to thereby maintain it at any point against undesired sliding movement. Similarly, the stirrup-supporting rod 11 is held in any raised or lowered position in the block 15 by means of the hand screw 19 threadable in the block and operative against the vertical portion 14 of the rod 11.

From the foregoing, the operation of the improved stirrup mounting will be readily understood. in its inoperative or concealed position, the stirrup 8 is positioned as shown in full lines in the several figures of the draw ing, wherein it will be disposed horizontally with the upturned extremity 10 of the stirrup-supporting rod 11 extended through the transverse opening 12 in the sleeve 9 of the stirrup. It will also be noted that when the stirrupppo e 11 inth Posi h r erq on T 4 of the rod will have been lowered through block 15 to the limit of its lowering movement, to thereby bring the horizontal portion 13 of the rod into a position adjacent to the top 4 otthe-table and in which Iposition-this portion 13 of the rod can 'be-swungthrough the space between the undercut portion 7 of the rest member and the top of the table to thereby :bring the; stirrup into its concealedposition withinrecess 5 of the rest member.

The swing of the rod 11 and thestirrup carriedthereby to bring the stirrup into its concealed position, can be made without requiring raising or other movement of position.

.the rest member-and thus without disturbing a patient I who might be resting on the table Similarly, the stirrup can be brought to its operative position, shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, by swinging the stirrup and its supporting rod 11 outwardly, with the part 14 of the rod 11 as the axis, to the extentrequircd, and by sliding the block 15 away from the foot end of the table to the desired position. The stirrup is then removed from the extremity of the rod 11 and the sleeve 9 of the stirrup is inserted on said end 10 and secured at the desired position thereon by means of the set screw 21. A

The return of the stirrup to its concealed position requires the sliding of the rod 11 downwardly through block 15 to lowered position and the fitment of the stirrup on the end 10 of the rod in a horizontal position as in Fig. l, whereupon the rod 11 can be then swung through the opening 7 of the recess 5 to position the stirrup in the recess. edge of the table top or at such additional locations as may be found necessary to prevent repeated frictional contact of the stirrup with the table from damaging the same.

From the foregoing it will be apparent thata disappear ing stirrup construction is provided which enables the stirrup to be swung inwardly from one side of the table into a recess in the rest member without requirement of displacement of parts of the table and particularly without requiring movement of a rest member on which a patient might be lying at the time when it is desired to bring the stirrup out for use or place it in its retracted At the same time, the mounting places ,no restrictions on the normal uses and adjustments of the stirrups.

Having described a single embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claim. 4

What I claim is: V

Ina physicians examining table, a table top, a rest member pivotally mounted on the table top adjacent to the foot end of the table, the rest member being undercut at a corner of the table to, provide a stirrup-receiving recess in its under face, said recess having an opening at the foot end of the rest member as well as opening at one side of the same, the side opening permitting passage of a stirrup, a bar slidably mounted in the top and adjustably extensible out of or retractible within the top, clamping means operative -upon'the bar to position the same in any 7 end, a stirrup having a sleevev for fitment on said end to A wear plate 20 is provided on the t thereby position the stirrup in an upright position, the sleeve having an aperture through which the upturned end of the rod can be positioned to thereby hold the stirrup in a horizontal position and the vertical portion of therod in a fully lowered position, being swingable in the block to thereby move said rod and the stirrup carried by it through the open side of the recess and between the rest member and table top and into the recess without requiring raising movement of the rest member.

References Cited in the file'of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,979,301 Webb NOV. 6, 1934 2,223,784 Froelich Dec. 3, 1940 2,308,747" Froelich Jan. 19, 1943 2,366,972 Lawrence Ian. 9, 1945 2,526,793 Alfred Oct. 24, 1950 2,679,445 Roehm May '25, '1954 2,712,484 Adolphson .July 5, 1955 2,714,541 Reichertet al. Aug. '2, 1955 

